Assembly Of Vertical DE Filter Grids - What A Pain!

by Ted
(Virginia)

I have a PAC-FAB Nautilus FNS Filter (48 sq ft) and recently needed to disassemble the grid assembly to clean it...it consists of 7 standard grids and one shorter one.

I have not been able to put it back together...ugh. I found one set of directions that says: "Starting with the SMALL GRID element, place the element on the bottom spreader in the position marked 'SMALL GRID' using the 'foot print' pattern as a guide for proper location --- but there is no such marking on my bottom spreader.

Any advice, diagrams or pictures of how this is put together would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the question Ted

I respect DE pool filters for their cleaning properties, BUT, I know from first-hand knowledge that they can be a real pain to get back together.

Normally pool owners will have an issue like yours; getting the grids back into the manifold or manifold retainer. Trying to get the grids lined up without falling over can be a test of patience.

Unfortunately there's really no easy way to exactly describe, in detail, what you need to do. There are many variables when it comes to putting a DE filter back together. It is something that you need to watch a few times to get the hang of it, or have a really good diagram on hand.

When I was doing pools in Arizona, I helped with about 10 of them before I attempted to clean and replace the DE grids by myself.

I did find a couple of sites that might help you:

www.troubleshooters.com/pool/de_filter_cleaning.htm

www.mypool.com/Help_Files/Parts_Diagrams/PacFabFNS.htm

Hope this helps your situation and have a great rest of the Summer

Robert

Comment By Ted: Thanks for the help!Date: Aug 09, 2010

Your response helped enormously and the web pages you indicated had some great pictures and advice.....thanks so much....much appreciated..

Comment By Jim Mc: DE Filter ReassemblyDate: August 20, 2011

Robert, just came across your site. I have an American products 48 sq. ft. DE filter.

When I tried to reassemble it, I could not do it by myself.

Later I finally tried to do it with top down/bottom up and was successful.

Comment By RobertDate: August 20, 2011

Thanks for the comment Jim. I'm sure this will help other pool owners. Drop by again to give more useful info.

Dual Filtering Systems

I am investigating getting a pool. I like the idea of the DE filter because of the extra cleaning of the water.

To reduce the burden of the extra cleaning requirement of the DE filter I would like to filter the water with a sand filter then use a DE filter.

I believe this should keep the DE filter cleaner for a longer period of time. Does that seem workable to you?

Thanks for the question Kathy

This is not a new concept but the one that I'm familiar with is called the Dual Filtering System for Swimming Pools Patent US 4657673 A with a publication date of April 14, 1987.

This one basically uses the same concept as the one you're describing. I personally have never worked on nor used it but it does seem interesting.

Another one is similar but not exactly what you're describing. It's called SYSTEM: 3 Modular Media Filters - SM Series. This is basically a cartridge filter but seemingly a little better designed.

I've been taking care of pools for the last 15 years which includes a pool route in AZ along with being the pool operator for the Y. I've installed dozens of filter systems and can honestly say with much confidence that I prefer cartridge filters over sand and DE. There are too many things that can go wrong with sand including broken laterals, stand pipes, and sand returned back into the pool.

DE has ripped grids, holes, adding the right amount of DE, backwashing, cleaning the grids, etc... It can get messy.

Cartridge filters do have some drawbacks, as everything does, but all thing being considered I'd go with cartridge hands down.

If you look on my Q&A page there's a huge list of questions about sand and DE filters but comparatively few about cartridges.

The answer your question yes this is possible but I'm not aware of any filter on the market today that can handle both. I know of some pool owners that have plumbed 2 filters together. I had 2 huge Triton II sand filters at the Y but they were both sand.

I hope this has answered your question to your satisfaction.

To post a reply, or if you have a similar question, you can see your post on the Q&A page in the "DE Pool Filter" category.

Check back to this post for updates or answers.

If you feel your situation is more complex and want immediate assistance (within 24 hrs) you can make a donation of your choice and I'll answer your questions by phone.

Have I helped you find a solution to your pool problems? Did this information help you? Please consider making a donation to help keep this site going. Thank you.